What would be the best thing that could happen to Obama? Losing Congress in 2010, argues Red State 's Erick Erickson of Red State. It worked for Bill Clinton! Think how popular Obama would be if he was standing up against mean GOP legislators instead of trying (or pretending to be trying) to pass unpleasant bills like cap & trade, immigration legalization and "card check." ... Even better: Pass a health care bill and then lose Congress in 2010. ...

Minor Hmms: 1) As things stand now, Erickson says, "Barack Obama cannot work the center." Hmm. I'm not so sure about that. He could be working the center a lot harder than he has been on education, welfare, the auto bailouts and the CIA, to name four. (And he probably thought he was working the center when he focused his health care pitch on curve-bending cost-control. Goes to show it's not enough to mindlessly triangulate.) ...

2) Erickson speculates that if Obama lost Congress he'd still get immigration reform through, thanks to moderate GOP senators like Grassley and Bennett. Hmm, again. Isn't immigration more likely to remain another one of those Washington Mirage Issues where you can technically count enough votes for legalization, but (because legislators are rightly skittish) the vote somehow magically never takes place? ...

3) Erickson even speculates that Obama, recognizing the utility of a loss in 2010, will "start" to undermine the Blue Dogs in swing districts. Really? "Start"? What would he do to undermine the Blue Dogs that he's not doing already? ... Hmm.   6:21 P.M.

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Barack got your tongue? Yesterday's post by formerly prolific OMBlogger and kf Designated Fall Guy Peter Orszag was his first in three weeks .  ... 6:52 P.M.

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